Tension erupts at Telangana polytechnic as students clash with police over GO 97
A confrontation broke out between protesting students and police at Government Polytechnic College in Ramanthapur on Thursday, amid the ongoing agitation against Telangana government order GO 97.
According to preliminary reports, the situation escalated when police tried to control a gathering of protesting students on the college premises, leading to a scuffle between the two sides.
A heavy police contingent was deployed on the campus to bring the situation under control and prevent further escalation. Media personnel were reportedly not allowed inside the college premises during the incident.
The incident comes amid weeks of protests by polytechnic students across Telangana against GO 97, issued on July 3. The order renamed the Labour, Employment, Training and Factories Department as SHAKTI (Skill, Human Capital and Knowledge Training Initiatives) and brought government polytechnic colleges under the ambit of the Young India Skill University (YISU).
Students have opposed the move, saying it could affect their access to the State Board of Technical Education and Training (SBTET) framework and the ECET lateral-entry scheme, which allows diploma holders to directly enter undergraduate engineering programmes.
The protests have spread across several parts of the state, including Ramanthapur, Mahabubabad, Secunderabad, Patancheru and Vikarabad. Students at Patancheru, for instance, blocked a national highway earlier this week while demanding the withdrawal of GO 97, following which several protesters were detained.
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has backed the students’ agitation and demanded that the government withdraw GO 97. BRS leaders R S Praveen Kumar and Chirumalla Rakesh Kumar had earlier met protesting students and assured them of the party’s support.
Former minister and BRS leader T Harish Rao has also demanded the withdrawal of GO 97 and supported the students’ concerns.
The state government has said it will examine the concerns raised by students through a coordination task force, while GO 97 remains in effect.